The Journals of Bob Drifter by M.L.S. Weech

The Journals of Bob Drifter by M.L.S. Weech

Bob Drifter is a substitute teacher, but there’s a bit more to him than that. You see, the teaching gig is just a way for him to earn money; his real profession is called being a Journeyman. Drawn towards those who are on the verge of dying, Bob’s task is to guide their souls into the afterlife (although wherever that may be, he really has no idea). Without people like Bob, our souls would simply cease to exist after death, and the world would lose a small piece of itself each time a person passes on. But people rarely understand the true purpose of Journeymen, which is why Bob is forbidden from telling anyone about what it is he does. Yet when Bob becomes close to the family of one of his students, his secret inadvertently becomes uncovered. Elsewhere, a duo of detectives has begun investigating a string of mysterious deaths that all seem to have a link to Bob, while a villain who ought to be saving souls has instead found power in letting them “sour.” Now, Bob must find a way to make amends with the people close to him and at the same time put a stop to the monster known only as Grimm.

With equal parts humor and horror, Weech creates a world in The Journals of Bob Drifter that is populated by both a peculiarly intriguing mythos and masterfully drawn characters. Readers will certainly have read stories about the Angel of Death, or the Grim Reaper, ideas which were used to inspire this supernatural thriller. But where other novels simply take these tropes and run with them, Weech has created a character that at once personifies and rails against what little knowledge our species has regarding death and the afterlife. Bob teaches us, again and again, that death is not simply something to be feared; sometimes it is also a release. And even after a loved one has passed on, a piece of their soul can live on in our hearts for years to come.